Running electoral registration - Wales

The Eligibility Confirmation Review (ECR) process will be a stand-alone exercise and, once completed, no further equivalent action will be required in the future. 

EROs are required to deliver the ECR. As part of this, you must:1  

• identify those citizens of the EU who are eligible  under the new criteria (e.g. as qualifying EU citizens, or EU citizens with retained rights) and confirm their maintained eligibility to vote in Police and Crime Commissioner elections, and that their eligibility to register and vote and vote at Senedd and local government elections is unaffected
• identify those citizens of the EU who are not eligible under the new criteria (e.g. as qualifying EU citizens, or EU citizens with retained rights) update the register to reflect the change in their eligibility and confirm to the elector their ceased eligibility to vote in Police and Crime Commissioner elections and that their eligibility to register and vote at Senedd and local government elections is unaffected. 

The end-to-end ECR process will consist of 2 parts. These are:

• the data-based review
• the correspondence-based review

The data-based review is the use of any data which the ERO may hold or have access to for the purpose of their registration duties which may enable them to identify qualifying EU citizens and EU citizens with retained rights without taking any further action other than to write out to the elector to confirm their maintained eligibility to vote in Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

The correspondence-based review is the process of writing out to any other electors whose continuing eligibility has not been confirmed by the data-based review to ask them to confirm if they remain eligible to be registered to vote at Police and Crime Commissioner elections under the new franchise criteria.
 

When must ECR be completed by?

You must have reviewed all electors who were registered under the old criteria and made a determination as to their eligibility under the new criteria by the end of 31 January 2025.2  

To make this determination, you must carry out the data-based review followed by a correspondence-based review where necessary. 

You must send communications to all electors to confirm the outcome of the review.3  

The exceptions to the requirement to have made a determination as to their eligibility under the new criteria by the end of 31 January 2025 are:4   

• Where you have requested further information from an elector in order to make a determination, and the date for response specified in your request has not yet passed.
• The 14 day period within which the elector may appeal your decision has not yet passed.
• Where the elector has requested a review hearing and this has not yet been heard or they have not yet been notified of the outcome.